ShikaTema snippets
by argentum-moon
Summary: Short stories about Shikamaru and Temari, the way I view their relationship.
1. Beauty

Temari is not beautiful. She looks fairly decent, sometimes even pretty, but never beautiful.  
Even so, he is attracted to her.  
It's something in the way she walks, so sure of her steps.  
Something in the way she smiles, although he says it's scary.  
Something in her eyes when she looks at him, teasing.  
The way she talks, manly and demanding.  
How she frowns in concentration when she's losing at Shogi again.  
The way her skin feels on his.  
The way she whispers his name at night, when he's holding her close.

"Shikamaru."

And hell, he never wanted a beautiful woman. Never needed one. He's the happiest man in the world without one. All he wants, all he needs, is her.  
Temari.


	2. Shogi

The first time he realized he loved her was when he taught her how to play Shogi.  
He had tried to teach the game to other girls too, but it always ended up as worthless effort.  
Hinata wasn't smart enough to be a challenge, or just didn't do her best. Tenten didn't want to play an old man's game. Sakura was too busy with other things.  
And when Ino had seen she couldn't win, she had started playing dirty. Trying to distract him, seduce him. He had defeated her with one more move, and walked away. She never asked him to teach her a game again.  
But Temari... This girl was different.  
She glared at the board, frowning in concentration. He loved the way she bit her lip when she wasn't sure of a move. He loved the way she grinned when she was sure she had him, and he loved the way her eyes narrowed when he had the upper hand again.  
They could play for hours. She rarely won, but didn't complain about it like the others.  
She wanted to try again and get better. And she just enjoyed playing with him.  
Although, when Chouji found them later that night, they were playing an entirely different game...  



	3. Caught

Temari ran her fingers through his hair and softly mumbled his name. Her eyes were closed. He kissed her, stroking her cheek with one hand and with the other tugging at her obi. The Shogi board stood forgotten at the table, the game unfinished.  
The knot at her back almost came undone, and he let go of her lips for a second. When he turned his head a little, he suddenly saw a familiar pair of feet and stopped dead in his actions.  
"Shikamaru? Why did you stop?" Temari asked, and opened her eyes. When she saw the witness of their actions too, she became very red and quickly straightened her clothes.  
Chouji grinned sheepishly. "Hi," he said, "did I interrupt something?"  
"No really, what gave you that idea?" Shikamaru grumbled. He sat up and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "What's it?" he asked.  
"Oh, I was just wondering if you had seen Ino," Chouji answered, "but I guess I better go look for her elsewhere. Have fun!" With those words he turned around and left, still grinning.  
Temari sighed. She tugged at her hair and glanced at Shikamaru indirectly. The boy turned to her again and smirked.  
"Now where were we?"


	4. Thoughts

Walking next to him, she can never get a hold of her mind. Her thoughts float everywhere, but always land at the same spot, at the boy next to her.  
_ He smells nice. Would it be his shampoo?  
_Questions are asked, answers are given. She says as much as she has to, just enough to be polite. If he notices her absence, he doesn't say so. He's quiet, too.  
_ I should've washed my hair this morning. Would he notice I haven't?  
_Sometimes, when they come too close, she feels him tense. Her heartbeat quickens, and she imagines he's breathing louder then.  
She cherishes those moments, reliving them at night.  
_ He's taller than me! But he's younger, isn't he? I don't know for sure...  
_But after a while, the moments are happening more often, and they're longer. When she's not careful, she could go too far, and the little something that's growing between them could break before it's even real.  
_ Why is it so hot in here? It's worse than the desert!  
_As their hands touch, she doesn't pull away, and neither does he. One time, he even takes her hand. It sends shivers up her spine. And she smiles to herself, seeing him blush. He looks really cute when his face is all red.  
_ What's that feeling in my stomach? Am I getting sick?  
_The something between them grows. Or, more accurately, something that was a barrier is shrinking. When someone else meets one of them, they will automatically look for the other. People are speaking of them as a couple, it seems everyone has accepted the fact that they're together except for them.  
_Why can't I just act normal?_

Until then.

As always, they were walking next to each other, but she went straight forward while he wanted to go around a corner. It ended with him pressing her against a wall. Her will leaves her, her body acts on its own. She raises her head a little, pulling his closer. Her eyes shut just before their lips touch.  
If anyone is watching them, she doesn't know. She doesn't care either. All that counts is this:

_ His hands, one on her shoulder, the other one tangled in her hair.  
__ The warmth of his body against her.  
__ The softness of his skin under her fingers.  
__ His sweet lips against hers._

And finally, there is peace in her head.

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Author's Notes: It's a short one again... I'll try to make the next one longer, but it's difficult! Please keep in mind these are snippets, I intend them to be short! (There isn't a real storyline, too, just little moments...)


	5. Visit

It was a pleasant day, warm and dry, with many little clouds in the sky. The dark-haired boy lay on the grass, enjoying the peace. Unfortunately, that peace didn't last long.

"Hey, Shikamaru!"

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the figure of his female teammate, but it didn't matter. Her voice was too loud to ignore.  
"You have to go to the gates immediately, the Suna ambassador coming!"  
When Ino saw he opened his eyes at that, she grinned and added: "Your _girlfriend_."  
"Oh, shut up," he grumbled, getting to his feet. He brushed the dirt off his clothes, and asked: "How late will she arrive?"  
Ino checked her watch and answered innocently: "Hmm, two minutes ago, I think."  
He slapped his forehead. This was going to be hell…

He wasn't quite right, though. Other people could think Temari was violent and bossy, but Shikamaru knew better. Like his father had told him once, women are tender to the men they love.

"Hey, lazy bum," Temari greeted him. She stood in front of the gates, and it surprised him how fresh she seemed after the long journey from Suna to here. "I was wondering already if I should come and get you myself."  
Ino grinned at Temari and winked. "Bye, guys! Have fun!" She walked away and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to complain, but found he was unable to speak with Temari's lips covering his.  
He didn't really mind that, but it did bother him that they were standing in front of the gates and everyone could see them. "Whatthehellareyoudoing?" he muttered, pulling away. Temari laughed.  
"Well, Ino told us to have fun. So, that's what I'll do."  
"Aha." He looked around, because he was sure he'd heard Naruto whistling somewhere.  
"Maybe," he said, "we should go somewhere else to do that."  
She raised an elegant eyebrow, and he continued: "I know a nice and quiet field of grass nearby…"

Shikamaru didn't have much time to watch the clouds that day, but he didn't mind. Other things were quite enjoyable too, especially when they included Temari.


	6. Moon Festival

Sitting on the rooftop, he watches the lights in the city below.  
His friends are there. He just said goodbye to them, even though the festival still continues. It is nice to sit here and look up at the moon, full and with the color of honey.

The last time he had seen her was at a festival too.

It had been spring, and on the last day of her visit the sakura trees suddenly began to bloom. She was thrilled, there were no trees like that in the desert.  
One of the girls lent her a kimono, and she joined the festivities in the city. All the time, she stayed at his side. They had lunch together, sitting underneath one of the many blossoming trees. At that moment, he had known for sure.

This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

She smiled at him, brushing the little petals off her shoulders. She was prettier than ever.  
"What are you thinking?" she asked.  
He answered honestly: "I'm considering asking you to marry me."  
If she was shocked or surprised, she didn't show it. Her eyes only sparkled even brighter.  
"Then why don't you?"

"Will you marry me?" he asked, and she said: "Yes, I will."

They both agreed wordlessly that the trouble would be saved for later. If there would be any difficulties, now was not the time to think about that. Now was the time to enjoy the sakura trees and each other's presence, and simply to be happy.

Half a year has passed since then. He has spent the entire summer searching for the best way to get permission for a marriage, and now he's ready. She can come to Konoha for good if she wants, and she says she wants. Her function will be Permanent Ambassador, but it'll be mostly ceremony. The most important part is that she will be with him.  
They will marry next year, when the sakura trees are blooming.

Shikamaru looks up at the night sky and wonders if she does so too. Next year, they'll celebrate the moon festival together.


	7. Bride Beauty 2

**Bride (Beauty 2)**

This suit was really troublesome, Shikamaru stated. But it was his wedding, so his suit should be decent, as his mother and Ino had insisted. They had spared no expense, and the party was definitely a success. All of their friends were present, now sitting in rows before the altar, to watch the official ceremony. They were only waiting for the bride now.

Finally, the door opened.

Temari entered.

And Shikamaru held his breath.

When he had seen her for the first time, during his Chuunin exams, he had thought she was just another troublesome woman, not very good-looking, and quite irritating. She was too damn smart, and strong, too. He still managed to defeat her, though, and he thought he was finished with her then. But then she came to rescue him, when he was sure he was done for. She grinned at him, and for a moment, he realized that she _might_ look a little prettier than before.

And of course she had to keep coming back to him, and after a while her looks didn't matter any more. She was smart, witty and he started to like her. After a few years, at the Sakura-festival, he noticed that she had become a pretty woman, but that was not the main reason for marrying her.

Still, as she walked towards the shrine, towards _him_, he held his breath. Her hair was in a complicated haircut (though he was sure it would be untidy again very soon); her kimono was stunning, as it should be on a wedding; her eyes were sparkling like diamonds.

She was truly

completely

beautiful.


	8. Wedding

_A crash, and her opponent fell into the arena. She closed one eye. Was she really supposed to fight this guy? He didn't even bother to get up. What kind of ninja was that? _

If someone had told her she would marry that guy one day, she would only have laughed.

Yet here she was, in a country she wasn't born in, to wed a man from another village.

She peeked into the room and looked at the guest. If they expected her to become like the other women from Konoha, they were wrong. It was difficult, but there was no way she would ever betray her country. She still was a kunoichi from the Sand, and even Shikamaru's wit could not change that. But she would live here in Konoha, being something they would call "permanent ambassador". She hoped it wouldn't involve too much paperwork.

Suddenly her thoughts were cut off, it was time to enter. The door opened. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Shikamaru already stood at the shrine and she slowly walked towards him. That suit fitted him nicely, he looked actually handsome for once. She felt all the guests gazing at her, and wondered whether there was something wrong with her hair. It wasn't coming undone already, was it? Finally, she reached the altar. She looked at her soon-to-be-husband and smiled. He smirked back, and whispered:

"I didn't know you could look so beautiful."

"Is that an insult?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said silently, and turned to the altar. She did so too, and wondered how she ended up here again. Inwardly, she shrugged. This guy wasn't so bad… She might even love him. Why else would she be here to marry him?

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AN: Didn't update for a loooong time, sorry for that! The SKEP was taking most of my fanfiction time, and school all of my other time. Come to think of it, I have to finish a project for Physics before tomorrow...


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